


Maintenance

by FlorentineQuill



Series: Doctor Who Oneshots [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Clara remembers, Gen, The Doctor is a bad driver, and a terrible TARDIS mechanic, post NOTD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-08 09:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1935060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlorentineQuill/pseuds/FlorentineQuill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor picks up Clara for their first trip after The Name of the Doctor and encounters an unexpected side effect of Clara remembering her past lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maintenance

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the amazing NoOrdinarySouthernGirl.

“Where are we off to this time, Doctor?” Clara asked as she swung inside the TARDIS’s doors. Angie and Artie watched from the kitchen window but she had left them a decent list of chores and homework that she was positive would be ignored in favor of video games (Artie) and chatting with Nina (Angie) until the last possible second. The Doctor grinned at her from the upper platform before clattering down the steps, recovered from the events of Trenzalore if his jittery energy and over cheerfulness was to be believed. 

(Having seen the Doctor at both low and high points, Clara was a little more wary of the enthusiastic facade this Doctor seemed to prefer but she was pretty sure the facade was no facade today.)

“We are going somewhere that is going to make your eyes pop right out of your head!” he declared. “Not literally, but I think you’re especially going to like this one!”

“Oh?” she said, arching one eyebrow. “Count me a little skeptical — Not on the destination but on the getting there part.” She patted the nearest bit of console and was mildly surprised to not receive an electric shock from the temperamental time-ship. “I know I said the navigation was knackered but you should have developed some go-arounds and semblance of driving skills in good God, who knows how many centuries.”

“My driving is perfect,” the Doctor shot back, starting to flip levers and press buttons. “Did you bring your sketchbook this time?”

“Got it right here in my bag,” she reassured him, patting the messenger bag she had slung over one shoulder. She tried not to wince as he enthusiastically tossed several levers out of sequence and felt how the TARDIS vibrations shifted under her feet. “Why do you want to know?” she asked in an attempt to distract herself.

“Oh, no reason. Well, there is a reason but it’s a surprise!”

“An art-related surprise?” she guessed, leaning back against the nearest console and watching him dash about. They were comfortably settled in the Vortex now but the whooshing of the Time Rotor was off somehow that had the Gallifreyan mechanic memories tucked away in the back of her mind stirring uneasily. 

“Maybe,” the Doctor hedged, frowning at something on the scanner. 

(Maybe he realized that the time spindles were in need of a desperate recalibration for this particular desktop?)

“Something wrong?” she asked. “Not sure I like the looks of that frowny-face.” 

“What? Oh, no, nothing at all. Just wondering when I need to stop by a Jammy Dodger factory again, we’re nearly out. Strange, the TARDIS is usually so reliable about making sure we’re stocked up on things like that…”

(Or not. She could feel her left eye start to twitch.)

“Have you checked the—Oof!”

The TARDIS gave a sudden shuddering lurch that had Clara grabbing onto the nearest section of railing. After several bone-rattling moments, everything smoothed out again but the damage was done in Clara’s mind. “Right then!” she said loudly, dropping her bag on the floor and heading for the under deck where she knew there were some storage compartments.

“Clara, where are you going?” the Doctor asked. 

“To get a tool kit!” she called back. “You get us landed wherever we’re going to end up this time— Because frankly, I didn’t like the feel of those skips she was making so don’t count on getting anywhere near the entered destination, even if you had entered it properly — and I’m am going to do something someone should have done a long time ago!” 

“What do you mean by that?” he sputtered, following her. “And watch what you go picking through!”

(Honestly, as if he didn’t know the TARDIS was perfectly capable of stashing away anything truly private at the drop of one of his ridiculous hats. Plus, she had the feeling that the Old Girl would be perfectly willing to work with her in that case…)

“Basic TARDIS maintenance!” she shot over her shoulder. “Proper maintenance, not this ramshackle jury-rigging you’ve butchered over the centuries!”


End file.
